Thursday, November 30, 2006

This morning’s run was an exploratory out in the ARNWR and the SudburyStateForest. With my wife out in Minneapolis, she says it is very cold there; I spent part of a sleepless night poring over Google Earth topography maps.

Let’s regress why, last summer I wimped out when the deer flies arrived and my trail running were abandoned. This led to the roads, boredom, injury and a major slump. With this cycle the beast to take on is snow and ice, when it arrives. For now a few flying shots of deer slugs isn’t going to stop me.

There is something about getting older and taking fewer risks, my history is slightly conservative. Growing up in WI deer hunting was common, here it’s not even allowed on Sundays throughout the State. Heading out in the first mile I spooked two six-pointers grazing in a pasture. The smart ones, they stay close to dwellings away from the hunters. Should also mention that my Dad took a bullet in the back hunting growing up and it never stopped him. Those were the days of wearing red plaid versus blaze orange and the norm was to have a flask of brandy to keep warm.

I wore five different articles of hi-vis clothing to be seen. With the tech-toys I must look like a running yard sale.

Back to the trails, the plan was to explore more dirt! As my outer loop is only one third trail and the rest looks like some army road from 1944. I wore the Garmin 201, Polar HR monitor and my Adidas racing watch. I think one too many gadgets flopping around. I should’ve replaced one with another bottle of water as I ran out around ten miles. Also, the GPS came in handy when I crossed over into new territory and got all turned around.

What does the GPS do with the missing 18:42 minutes? It displays it as 1.02m rest giving a total of 16.18 m for the run. There were a number of stops and backtracks as I got my bearings. My navigation skills are pretty rusty and trying to memorize the topo map wasn’t working. Also, tried printing a topo and the printer printed a memory error, will need to look into this.

Deer hunter report: one mini-van and one SUV w\deer sled North Side, South had four vehicles. One truck alongside Hudson Road. Only shots heard were far off in the distance.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

I am borrowing this title from Chasing Kimbia who is borrowing it from a song sung by KT Tunstall. It turns out my eleventh place master finish at Cape Cod did not produce any Grand Prix points (only top ten) as I was hoping an unattached runner wasn’t a USATF member. This is just more fuel to drive the mental training to push this cycle to a higher level. It hurts but life goes on and Spring will be here before you know it.

Today was the speed-strength workout. This is starting to come along nicely as the flow between exercises smoothens. The incline was at 1% the whole time including 6:00 quarters. What's killer is the call for 24 dips! That's allot for skinny runner arms; I better check the program to see if that's right. Total workout 1:46:16. Last night I did some light Yoga which helped loosen things up. I noticed skipping the week before that I really miss the good long stretches.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

I noticed the use of the word distance comes up quite frequently in my marathon program. It’s a day where you run how you feel and can be used as recovery. The range is typically 5-10 miles depending on the week’s demand.

This morning treadmill had one interruption at four miles which broke my groove. At 5.5m I lowered the incline from 1% to 0.5%. At 6m lowered to 0% and finished off the last 0.75m at 7:00 pace.

What a beautiful sunrise leading to a gorgeous warm day. The air temperature was about 57 degrees with fair skies! I got together at the Haskell Fields for some grass fartleks. This was a solo effort imagining everyone leaving me in their tracks. It went very well all things considered and now I may actually do next weekend’s road race.

The workout:

4 x 3 mins.2 min rest

4 x 2 mins.2 min rest

4 x 1 min.1 min rest

A five minute rest between sets at a slow jog.

The first repeat was slow; the legs just weren’t turning over. I am still working on relaxing and running fast. The second one of each set seemed to get things coming back to my legs and I could spin them over and felt a lot more at ease on the grass. There were a few where I was just hammerin’ right along like old times. This is one workout I would like to try on a small grassy down slope to quicken the turnover.

I am really enjoying the unstructured training time as it’s a mental relief from following a regimental schedule. It’s nice to be creative and dabble in a few different workouts for variety. My concerns are to add enough work and work hard enough so that when the 16 week Boston program starts I am ready. It’s only a month away and my recovery has run its course so now is the time to get the legs in motion.

Wd = easy 3m on treadmillTh = 2x5k program on Cybex International treadmill, 7:00 pace and then a 6:30 pace for a total of 7m, rain all day, raw, my Wife ran the race.Fr = Easy 11m on Ocean DriveSa = Easy 8m out to SecondBeach, second run on treadmill 3m

Today’s run was 3x Hayne’s Loop progression. 1 - 34:41 (6:56), 2 - 33:19 (6:39), 3 - 32:23 (6:28) for a total of 1:40:25, distance is 15 miles (6:41). This does not include the w\u and c\d as I am not going to be tracking it anymore. HR came out to an average 156; take this reading for what it’s worth, allot of the time the monitor was displaying 0 or 228?, etc. Oh yeah, one wild turkey scuttled out of the road on my first loop to join his seven friends that were eating in someone’s backyard.

Training: am, 41 degrees, 15M 6:41 pace, progression, this is good work

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

This quote is from a Boston Adidas poster hanging in my gym. Inspirational and motivating.

Happy Thanksgiving to all as I am going to be spending some time away from the blog to focus on family and friends through the weekend. Maybe, I will get that 5 mile race in.

Today’s training was the Speed-Strength circuit. I lowered the quarter mile pace to 6:00. That’s as fast as our treadmill will go. Once this feels real comfortable I will need to increase the incline to make it a challenge.

Monday, November 20, 2006

I ran this one at LSRHS instead of Maynard. The track is further away from home. It seems the straights are shorter so the turns aren't as tight. This may help alleviate the issue I had before with my shins. The LS track could use a new surface, several areas the topcoat sounds hollow and there are a number of dips and rises.This test was done with an air temp of about 40, cloudy skies and a slight breeze that stiffened a little for the last two runs.

I need help interpreting what some of the data means.

Lactate Threshold Testing

2400m Actuals

30-May-06

HR

TIME

PACE

COMMENT

140

11:34

7:45

slow pace hard to not go fast

150

10:40

7:09

still slow, keep track of laps

160

10:02

6:43

a little quicker

170

9:27

6:20

at 169. breathing, fear 180

180

9:03

6:04

at 176. This is allot of work I can feel the legs, heavy breath, lower energy, had enough

11-Jul-06

HR

TIME

PACE

COMMENT

140

10:36

7:06

easy

150

10:12

6:50

okay pace

160

9:27

6:20

at 159 moving along

170

9:02

6:03

at 168 this can be work

180

9:01

6:02

at 171 slow start, enough strong finish

I dropped off trying to achieve the 180HR. After six weeks of training my HR improved versus running at all intensities. A pace that used to require 170 HR now required less than 160 HR.

20-Nov-06

HR

TIME

PACE

COMMENT

140

10:35

7:03

at 139

anxious

150

9:54

6:36

at 149

okay

160

9:15

6:10

at 158

form focus

170

8:50

5:53

at 165

tough

180

9:06

6:04

at 164

mentall challenge

The 160 HR was most comfortable. 170 and 180 were difficult to achieve and the 180 was with a stiffer wind and loss of energy. Working on breathing, form and mental. 2 minute recovery.After the 170 I had enough, when I got home I was starving and cold. Only water and no breakfast before the run.

Out the door for an easy four miler with a few fartleks sprinkled in for variety. I had the urge to go for a MLR, but decided recovery is the better option. It’s nice to finish up three weeks illness and injury free.

Training: am,45,4M 8:11 pace, recovery few fartleks felt fine

Here is one of the trail photos from yesterdays run. BTW, it was only 16 miles, quite a few stops for photo taking and light stretching before the tempo run.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

So, next week starts gun deer at NWRA which means this was my last run there for the next month. It was fantastic, pulled in the weekly long run, roughly 16.5m with a 42 minute loop tempo. Took some photos that I will post later.Just thought I would post this piece. It's an excellent read for mental training. Food for the mind!

If you think you're beaten, you are;If you think you dare not, you don't;If you'd like to win, but think, you can'tIt's almost a cinch you won't.If you think you will lose, you're lost;For out in the world we find,Success begins with a fellow's will,It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are;You've got to think high to rise.You've got to hustle beforeYou can ever win a prize.Life's battles don't always goTo the stronger or faster man,But sooner or later the man who winsIs the one who thinks he can.-Walter D. Wintle, "The Man Who Thinks He Can"

Friday, November 17, 2006

Our True treadmill and the gym environment are getting the best of me. This will only get better as improvements are made.

Changes so far:

Kept the gym door open

Positioned a 3” fan nearby

Setup portable shelving for drink cups

Wired speakers for the laptop

Switched to thinner socks

The results are this mornings 5-miler was ran at an average pace of 7:39 which includes a warm-up. The goal is 7:00 minute pace. Last run was 8:11. Air temperature only increased from 70 to 71 vice the four degree rise last time. The wet test came at the end by my shoes not being soaked.

Changes to be made:

Position a second fan

Mount the speakers on the wall

Change from plastic to paper cups

I have more ideas but as I have learned from project management and marathon training it is best to break the whole down into smaller pieces.

About 1.5 miles into the run I realized too much work was being expended to maintain 7:30s. A quick correction to relax and loosen up helped. Around three miles it came to me that one must control the machine instead of just going along for the ride as the belt spins endlessly. This is part of the focus on running. Continually check and recheck all systems. A certain desire and thought put into the details will reap rewards long term.

I am changing yesterdays run from the recorded 10 miles to 11 miles based on a recent New England Runner article about the Battle Road Trail written by Chris Spinney. Chris I do not know other than he is a faster master than me, for now. That will change. It reads like he used a pedometer. He writes it is 5.5m end to end. So I did 11 miles for a pace of 6:29.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

In my last marathon build I laid the groundwork for some training routes. To build off of that I am now going to adjust them to be more race specific.

In recalling my PR year at Boston many of my low-mileage double runs were done on a hilly course. Even though, it was only a 4-6 mile run the grade was never flat. Our townhouse was on a hill and the loop of the compound circled from top to bottom. These repeats were done early in the morning without eating and maybe with a water bottle.

Repetitions other than the track. Repeated laps can induce injury. Measure out beforehand by bike or car, can also check with Garmin and USATF site. Choose a sheltered area which might allow you to run in both directions while keeping your times/efforts constant.

Taking drinks on the run (drink once every half hour during a 2 1/2 hour run) rely on a coach\friend on a bike or in a car. Use a loop course that brings you past a station setup beforehand.

*loosely drawn from Richard Nerkurs book on running. I am thinking hills, hills, hills. My last program I backed off on them thinking the hills led to injury. Now, I am leaning toward my overall strength was on the lower side and the feet, ankles , shin s had a harder time tolerating them.

Yesterday was rest to recover from three straight days of running. This is my third week of recovery so I am being cautious. I did the Abs of Steel part one to see how my core strength is coming along. The video is a good measure based on feel and something I did on a regular basis when I ran my PR. Later was a two mile hike on a local trail with the boys. With the rain the little guy was squirming to get down and hike the length of it despite the rocks, roots, mud puddles and other hazards.

Rain was coming down hard this morning on my way over to the Battle Road Trail. I quickly shagged the hat and gloves after the first mile when it finally let up as the temperature was nearing 60 degrees. Lots of mud and puddles out there. I timed what I believe to be the largest hill at 200 seconds. I need to check the mileage on the trail as I am probably short changing myself.

My right glute could be felt yesterday, but after today’s workout its fine. Tomorrow will probably pull in 5-6 miles and the long run on Saturday. Slight change over the weekend to get more recovery for the race on Thursday.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Planned eight miles on the treadmill starting at 7:00s and seeing how well I held up. Going into the run I could feel a little soreness in my glutes, mostly on the right side. This may be attributed to yesterday’s platform lunges. The first mile was on the mark but felt the HR creeping up so backed off to 7:30s.

Had to stop and make some gym adjustments for water. I was spilling the cup of water all over the place. By the time I hit three miles the sweat was pouring off of me. Realizing the lack of airflow and the more I ran the warmer the room which led to a higher HR. Settled for backing off the pace to keep the HR low and not self-destruct.

With the slower pace I had to focus more on my running economy. It seems I am out of practice in running relaxed, smooth and focused. My arms seem to cross over too much and swing too high. I realized my breathing was mostly through the mouth. I adjusted this by including breathing through my nose and filling the lungs by expanding the abdomen.

Monday, November 13, 2006

I took another look at Fuel on Fat For the Long Run that has been brought up in run blogs. My comment on Mike’s blog was this is a crazy idea when he first posted it. It seems Eric also got onboard and the topic surfaced again several weeks ago.

For long workouts and marathons I have my own creation to stockpile the carbs within two hours. I use BOBOJ, banana, oatmeal, bagel (w\peanut butter) and orange juice. If time allowed I also had a green tea with a small amount of non-fat milk. This is actually a lot of food to take in, but I have always believed it gave me the source of energy for endurance length runs.

This time I read and analyzed the article. Based on my notes there are several questions that I would ask. But, the bottom line is it all started to make sense. I reflected back in my running experience to days that correlated and ones that did not and their outcome. In addition the book I am reading by Richard Nerurkar he writes about not eating two hours before a workout. He does not go into the why or help you understand the reasoning. Another item I caught was watching the chasingKIMBIA during my workouts that their pre-marathon breakfast was something like 4-4:30 in the morning, well before the race.

My second marathon this year was to be a PR even though on a more challenging course. Seeing how it wasn’t, like any major sports team, something has to change. Becoming a fat-burner is just one small ingredient. When my wife caught on to what I was doing with my diet the last couple of days she dismissed the notion.

Today’s workout was the Speed-Strength Circuit. A total time of 90 minutes and average HR of 133 with peaks around 168 during the 400s. I ran the program the whole way through twice. I lowered the 400 meter pace from last week’s 6:40 to 6:18. This effort seemed to be okay. The back extensions and bench dips are the toughest; I’ve had to break them down into shorter sets. Also, I restricted to drinking water only from a cup to practice for racing.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Weekly ReviewTotal Miles: 33Number of Workouts: 4Stretching: 2Yoga: 1P\U, S\U: 250\500Notes: Ready to start training but holding back.Issues to Note:1. None. This is awesome compared to my post ROC.Next Week Goal:Up the mileage to 36 per Pfitz, This I feel is too low. If the pace is in check and all is a go I am looking for 40-50.

I skipped my opportunity to three-peat today on the local 5K to be on the conservative side. I need to spend some time planning for the five-miler on Thanksgiving.

Training: am, 60s drizzly, Willow Guzzle, 10M 1:09:36. This is a key hole course that has a four mile loop progressively ran faster each leg, (3m,4m,3m).

I went through the program yesterday substituting the bike for the run at an easy pace. In the afternoon a brisk walk to vote with the stroller for one hour. Today, I ran once through it with a treadmill pace of no faster than my last marathon (6:40) keeping the heart rate below 160. Since I am still within two weeks of recovery I am taking it easy and will most likely feel some sore muscles from this tomorrow.

It’s actually a dynamite program when in full training to push the treadmill to the max and fluidly flow between exercises. This is a strength builder that also enhances speed and if that isn’t enough you feel and look good afterward. Now, it’s a matter of where to fit it into the program. Do I dare put it on Monday after Sunday’s long run?

I read the resting heart rate is a good indicator of one’s fitness and if tracked shows recovery. My first check I came up with 48 and the second day 50. Based on this chart of seven levels, athlete being the highest, I am at the low end. That’s good. It will be interesting to track and see how the numbers come out as I progress towards Boston. For now I use the carotid artery finger check method. The thought of sleeping or strapping on a heart rate monitor has crossed my mind as it may be more accurate than my multiply by 6 or 10 method.

There are seven runs of twenty miles or longer, weekly intervals on the track, two tune-up races, hill training, simulating race conditions and running on the race course.

This is an increase of five miles per week average over my last marathon build. The program has a peak week of 79 miles. Speed seems lacking in my last two marathons while endurance is already built on a large base of marathons and some ultras. Taking two weeks off the overall plan may help my focus and comply better with the New England weather.

Our National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is now open to hunting for small game and archery deer. Stick to the trails and wear some orange should suffice. Do not run the NWR during shotgun or muzzleloader deer (Nov 27 - Dec 30). Check the numer of vehicles in the parking lots and be watchful are my words of caution. Today I heard two gunshots and saw one other runner.

I ran to the Assabet River and turned where a beaver took down a 20" diameter tree.

Yesterday we went out to Leominster State Forest and viewed the 11o' ledge with the climbers, we didn't climb it but hiked some of the trails. Excellent weather, clear skies and clean air.

An excellent inspirational piece aired on the public radio show "only a game" about Kenyan runners. Wouldn't it be neat to spend a month at Lornah Kiplagat's high altitude training camp there in Iten?

Sunday, November 05, 2006

In preparation to create a plan for Boston 2007 I included my 2001 Boston on my two recent marathon progressions.

A key difference I notice in the chart is the number of weeks less than 40 miles highlighted in yellow, taper excluded.

The 2001 included the following breakdown:

1-20M@7:06

1-23M@6:20

7-Runs while wearing snowshoes

11-cross-training efforts

3-PR Races

16-0M days, complete rest

12-Less than 4M days.

33-Doubles (one triple) run days

My take away is there were many days of 4-6 mile runs. I created a road fartlek method to maximize my work lunch hour. It consisted of a mile warm-up. Three miles of fartleks by accelerating on an approaching vehicle or passing vehicle until out of sight and then resting on the next one. Finish with a one mile cool down. This run is equivalent to having a gel at mile 22; a huge boost in performance. We had weekly intervals performed on the track or roads ranging from 200m to 2000m.

The 2001 followed a 16 week BAA created club marathon program tailored to the course. I am not sure what improvements have been made in the last five years, if any. I see this program as the cornerstone of my 2007 Boston.

Issues to Note:1. Residual DOMS subsided by Thursday allowing three runs at the end of the week. Left hamstring seemed most tight. My right ankle early on felt a little worn. Interestingly, the inner right shin stuff, mild, disappeared since the marathon, possibly speed related.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

I baked these scones with golden raisins off a recipe from our Town Crier. The baker won a second place blue ribbon on this submittal. Inspiration to bake came from Mike. Interestingly, the Crier's photo also came out of focus like Mike's in the foreground.

2 teaspoons lemon juice 3 cups flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 tablespoon sugar 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut up Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or a silicone sheet, or grease and flour it. Combine milk, cream, egg, in a small bowl and beat with a fork. Add golden raisins, pecan nuts and lemon juice. Stir dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add butter and cut it in until almost incorporated. Stir in milk mixture just until it holds together. On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and knead very quickly and gently. Pat into a round one- to one-and-a-half inches thick and cut scones. Place on baking sheet, glaze with egg-white and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve with butter, jam and cream.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

“Bill Rogers” was my exclamation as I rounded the bakery section of our local supermarket to the King on the Roads. Hopefully some of his speed from our handshake will get into my system to set some PRs before the end of the year and beyond.

Today brings more yoga, walking, sit-ups, push-ups and thinking of a plan. This creativity phase involves online research, books we have and training logs from past years. Thoughts are leaning toward the Kevin Beck 12-week, BAA 16-week, Pfitzinger 18 week 70+ programs and a blend of Martin\Coe techniques. For some reason the Lydiard stuff didn’t get me very far; or I haven’t given it enough time. The Daniels programs were just too confusing that I don’t want to go back and look at them. Maybe, when PRs start landing these tossed aside experts will get another look. For now, it’s going to be what’s proven to work.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

“Resuming training is much like pulling an onion out of the garden and discovering that it is not yet fully grown. One cannot thrust it back in and expect more growth! Physiological and psychological fatigue must be fully resolved if the total approach to beginning another training cycle is to be one of excitement, anticipation, and willingness to rededicate one’s life to training.”Better Training for Distance Runners, 2nd Ed. Martin & Coe

I have been waiting for major Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) to settle in and it’s just not happening in an overwhelming way. There are residual muscle aches that are keeping me from running (mentally). I try to hold to, the older the runner typically the longer the recovery adage. Based on my ROC Marathon in the Spring this may take a month, but I have two races scheduled for November.

The first is my chance to three-peat at the Doc Adelson 5K in Wayland on November 12 and the second is a 5-miler on Thanksgiving in Newport, RI. Should I race both of these? Could I run 5:30’s at both events or faster?

Active recovery is consisting of stretching, walking and yoga. CCM taught me for any hill race you need to work on the arm strength. This is why push-ups are important. The last ten weeks of the marathon build I fell off that wagon even though I looked at them everyday and knew better. Better discipline next time.

The dropout phase in the middle may be attributed to overtraining and staleness. The mileage build was a record, the pace was too slow, it was hot and I got burned out physically and emotionally. Tomorrow’s post may address the start of a plan and ideas.

Almost forgot, I am to keep tabs on the NE Grand Prix results as I may have scored points which will put me in New England Runner and achieve one of my marathon goals.